


Magnetosphere

by qyuwons



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mingyu has a lot of internal conflicts, Mutual Pining, Past Kim Mingyu/Lee Jihoon | Woozi - Freeform, Unrequited Love, and Wonwoo is one of those lol, answer: 'cause it's redundant hah, can't write decent smut to save my life lmao, please don't get tired of reading about 'stars' 'cause that's basically what this fic is about, question: why didn't i title this as 'stars' or something
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 22:03:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13866906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qyuwons/pseuds/qyuwons
Summary: The universe is fairly quiet but Mingyu is still frightened.





	Magnetosphere

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely based on [this](https://twitter.com/fuyubi/status/967774846842122240) because I thought it was very cute of Wonwoo to say such _and_ of course, dedicated to Rameanie™ - we all know we needed this, so here’s my attempt to make it work! Thanks to the ideas you randomly throw in our gdm, I love you all. Disown me if I don’t give this enough justice.

“Have you already received the coordinates, Gyu?” The growing static from the intercom gave Mingyu a hard time understanding what his senior has said as he was calibrating his ship, preparing to go on hyperdrive.  
  
He slowly responds while double-checking everything: his fuel, the turbulence, the condition of the vortex he would be passing through. “I did, Seungcheol. I just don’t get why I get assigned to such isolated places – and why in Milky Way of all places? No one from our division had been there since,” he groans, losing count of the seconds as he tries to remember details about past voyages, “… _forever_.”  
  
The younger receives a hearty chuckle from the older, “It’s because you’re reliable, Mingyu. You actually make sure things are done. You’re like the only whole-assed between us half-asses.” Seungcheol laughs again but Mingyu only scoffed at his senior’s attempt to relay a compliment.  
  
Their conversation ended there. Mingyu bid his senior farewell before entering the vortex which led him to a nearby space port.  
  
A trip to another galaxy is a lot of work and he was running low on basic necessities. Plus, his trip to Petaia was still evident on the looks of his ship. There were _live_ moss-like creatures crawling all over its body and he was worried that other smaller creatures may or may not have settled themselves inside his engine. Since Petaia was a damp planet, they might’ve found heat very interesting and new. The windows of his ship had blue luminescent goo sticking onto them. It was clear that his ship needed cleaning.  
  
For such big galaxies as compared to their own and very cramped, Spad IV, the space port between Olpho Erthet and Kraig II was relatively small and quiet, considering that both galaxies only have four planets and each were at least _twenty_ light years apart. Spad IV on the other hand, has thirteen planets, all inhabited, and were only ten light years apart from one another at most. Never did Spad IV had a quiet moment.  
  
Surprisingly, Mingyu enjoys the solitude. He would rather be stuck with no fuel in the middle of either Olpho Erthet or Kraig II than to be stuck in the perpetual space traffic in Spad IV.  
  
As he watches his ship self-clean from the diner window, Mingyu taps on his QHolo to check for real-time updates as he was feeling disconnected with, well, the _whole_ universe. He makes a mental note to give a heads up to whoever was planning to head to Petaia in Kraig I; reception on that planet is the _worst_.

The vibration on his wrist felt uncomfortable as messages, voice mails, and notifications get received by his device. He skims through them and replies to a few, making sure that people knew that he was not dead _or_ on the verge of dying.  
  
Most of them were from his quote end quote, partner, Minghao who, fortunately, is currently in Olpho Erthet. He had mentioned something about bargaining with freelancers from the said galaxy. Mingyu wished his friend a good luck since freelancers usually demand for plenty—either labor or money.  
  
Other than the _“are you still alive?”_ messages, he also received small works both from his division and personal clients. He only accepts those which are not out of way from his itinerary.  
  
He finishes up his lunch, stands up and leaves a tip for the waiter for putting just the right amount of sugar on his drink. He steps outside and uses his QHolo as a remote to halt his ship from self-cleaning. This three-year-old ship of his was far from being pristine but he certainly cannot do anything about it. Mingyu reaches out to touch a portion of his ship where the paint had already peeled off.

 

-

 

Mingyu is 19 and the ship is still owned by his senior, Jeonghan. He remembers Jeonghan showing him tricks as they zoomed through the neighboring galaxy. It was meteoroid season that time and Jeonghan was feeling a tad bit lazy, making use of the auto-pilot even though 1.) there were warnings about the meteors and 2.) need they say more ‘bout _damned_ meteors?

It did not come off as a surprise when Mingyu choked because of his seatbelt, as Jeonghan, in all his efforts, avoided a meteor which could’ve broke the ship into half. The tail of the meteor burned off some of the paint on the side of the ship. When they returned to the headquarters, Jeonghan told most of the people from their division of what had happened as if it was something normal.

“You what?!” Mingyu swore this was the only moment he had heard senior Jisoo raise his voice. On the other hand, the other boy was cheekily giggling. Jisoo was not pleased and basically dragged Jeonghan, leaving Mingyu alone with the ship. He touches the part where the paint was peeled off. Next thing he knew, he was receiving the keys for the said the ship.

Jeonghan holds both of Mingyu’s shoulders (he was smaller back then) and says, “She’s yours now,” Mingyu swore he heard his senior’s voice crack. The older was holding back his tears. He kept on swallowing as if he had a dry pill stuck in his throat. With a shaky voice, he continues, “I just,” a sigh, “…wanted to have fun with her, for the very last time.”

The next day, Mingyu receives the news that Jeonghan had left the division to work on the mainland. Apparently, only the seniors knew about the nearing departure of Jeonghan. Unlike most of the members of the division, Jeonghan is from a wealthy family. Jeonghan, basically, was a high-functioning member of the society and that he was needed back in the mainland.

Mingyu wishes he was too, but he, _literally_ , had his head above the clouds.

 

-

 

The stars are not pretty as they appear on the mainland, Mingyu have grown to realize this fact as he navigated from one galaxy to another. It’s no myth that the brightest stars are technically the dead ones. He had witnessed a lot of this so-called star deaths. They were boring but somehow, Mingyu always has the urge to stop and just – _stare_. Truly tedious; much like the life he’s living.

Mingyu is 21 with nothing but his desire to find whatever he could find. For him, these trips of his are more than just scavenging. Scavenging to a normal crowd, basically means gathering waste. He liked to call it “stargazing”.

On every planet he had been to, the stars looked the same. They looked small, insignificant but endearing. Mingyu always make sure to spend at least one night in every planet just to see the stars – maybe even trace out the constellations which varied in every galaxy. He doesn’t forget to visit the said stars once he was out again in space; in their dullest states.

He calls it stargazing because the things he searches for were as small, insignificant but endearing as the stars. He calls it stargazing because he continued to look above even though he had been living among the stars ever since he turned 19. He calls it stargazing because every time he lands on a different planet, he is always welcomed by the stars.

Mingyu is 21 with nothing but his desire to find his place in this infinity. For him, stargazing is about finding a place where the stars look different.

 

-

 

He lands on an open field by a nearby suburb on Lopiel in Kraig II. Mingyu usually refuses to accept jobs which required him talking to other people or basically, being in a planet that was inhabited. Lopiel, among other planets, was an exception.

Seokmin agreed to meet Mingyu in a small tavern in between Mingyu’s ship and the suburb. It was packed when Mingyu entered. He looks at his QHolo and realizes it was a weekend. It was funny, how Mingyu’s job is mostly time-bound but he misses dates one too many times.

The mug filled with unfamiliar liquor started to heat up as Mingyu tightened his grip on the mug. He did not have any plans to get drunk but he likes to try new things every now and then. The brunette gulps before lifting the mug near his mouth. If he was to compare the smell to a thing he was familiar with, he would describe it as fruity—a mix of mango and pineapple, just tangier. Bottoms up; Mingyu feels his inside burn as his QHolo blinks indicating he received a message.

 

-

 

They leave the tavern and began walking towards the suburb. Seokmin scolded Mingyu who continued to groan and dig his fingernails on his palm. “Who told you to drink that, you dumbass,” he pats Mingyu’s back as the other coughed and wheezed.

“That sure was _some_ stuff. This planet of yours is _something_ ,” he slurs, halting his steps as he drops on his knees, wrapping his arms around his stomach tightly. Seokmin rolls his eyes before crouching next to his distressed friend, checking to see if he still had life in his eyes.

“C’mon dude, don’t die on me.” He lets out a small chuckle then proceeds to sling Mingyu’s arm on his shoulder, holding the taller one’s side before pulling both of them up. “I hate gravity on this planet.”

 

-

 

Mingyu dreams of Onyn and his family. He dreams of their smiles and support. Mingyu dreams of his past goals. He wanted to work in the mainland. He wanted a normal life. But the stars called for him, and to the stars he responded.

 

-

 

There was an aspirin and a glass of _familiar_ liquid on the bedside table when Mingyu wakes up. His head is a throbbing mess but at least his insides weren’t burning anymore. He checks to see if the dosage of the aspirin is meant for the likes of him and not of other kind. He was about to drink it when Seokmin entered the room with a tray occupying both of his hands.

“You owe me lots, Mingyu. I had to sleep on the couch because it’s freezing on the floor,” Mingyu laughs at him before regretting, as the consequence of his action felt like a bullet just shot through his head. “Don’t drill a hole in your stomach and actually eat first before drinking medicine. I’m heading out and will be back in an hour, we still need to talk so,” Seokmin carefully places the tray on the bed before continuing, “…don’t just leave and message me on QHolo – stop being such a coward for once.”

Truly, he is a coward and had always been a coward. It terrifies him when he ventures from one galaxy to another even if he had passed through that galaxy at least once. Most of the galaxies were safe and had regular patrollers who are always willing to help if ever something bad happens. There were no intergalactic or local galaxy wars going on, so he didn’t have to worry about getting involved in such. The universe is fairly quiet but Mingyu is still frightened.

He plays with his QHolo as he nurses his _terrible_ hangover and waits for Seokmin’s return. A few minutes in, he receives a call from Minghao which he answers without any hesitations.

“I may or may not be staying here a little longer than how I planned.” There was uneasiness in his partner’s voice which causes Mingyu’s eyebrows to furrow.

“Why?” He queries, adjusting his position on the bed, sitting cross-legged.

Mingyu hears shuffling from the other line followed by a heavy sigh, “These guys are no joke – hear me on this.” He lets out a small hum to acknowledge Minghao’s request. “They wanted me to help them catch space bandits—"

“That’s a good thing, did you refuse?” He cuts the other’s sentence off.

“I said hear me out on this, Mingyu. Shut up and let me continue.” Mingyu chuckled, he is very much aware of Minghao’s temper but he wanted to joke around a bit because Minghao sounded too tense than usual.

“Here’s where it gets messy, I agreed to help them and we _did_ catch the bandits. Apparently, they had the item I needed to get to my client. It went well until…” Minghao pauses and Mingyu holds his breath out of anticipation, “…until the other ship got sucked into an unstable vortex. Turns out that the bandits managed to plant a trap when we were busy chasing their company.”

Mingyu realizes the _possible_ situation Minghao was hinting on and suddenly, the alarms inside his head set off. There is a chance that he have to drop his trip to Milky Way and assist Minghao all the way back in Olpho Erthet.

“Go on,” he attempts to say calmly even though he already stood up and is pacing around Seokmin’s room, completely anxious of the probable consequences.

“Hold on.” Mingyu gets put on hold, the sound of his QHolo is now synchronized with his rapid heartbeat. What felt like hours went by and he was still on hold. He was ready to drop the call and call again, afraid that Minghao might’ve forgotten that he was still on the QHolo with him.

After a minute or two, he hears the line go back and Minghao sounded hopeful as compared to earlier, “Where are you going next, Gyu?” It was a rather rushed question but Mingyu answered nevertheless, “Uh, Milky Way – why?” He hears Minghao mumble and guessed that he was talking to another person.

“Could you do me a favor? I really can’t travel to Milky Way since I’m running low on resources. There’s no cash flowing because I have this job on hold so there’s no way I could return to Spad IV to ask for help and obviously, would not risk my safety to go to Milky Way.” Mingyu was worried that Minghao would act on impulse if he refuses. They are ‘partners’ for a reason and are basically assigned to look over one another; to keep both of themselves away from whatever danger their jobs may bring.

 

-

 

“Mingyu, this is Minghao,” Seungcheol introduces a lanky boy with elf-like features to Mingyu. He assumes he’s not from Onyn unlike him and his closest seniors. It isn’t common for the division to accept recruits from another planet (maybe even galaxy) due to the fact that clients mostly evade getting involved with people they don’t share the same genetic pool with. It is common knowledge and Mingyu was confused as to why this _Minghao_ chose to join their division.

It came as a surprise that they get along pretty well. Their awkward phase went fairly short and suddenly, Minghao wasn’t as foreign as Mingyu thinks. Surely, his guess was confirmed by the other when he had questioned him about it. “I came from Klius – you know, that planet on the ‘edge’ of this galaxy,” he declared in a blatant manner. Mingyu admired that – he wished he too was unabashed like his new-found friend.

 

-

 

The first time Mingyu tells his parents about his desire to be a scavenger they paid him no attention. It went on like that for quite some time: his parents going quiet after he expresses his passion before changing the topic. It’s not that their against Mingyu’s decision to go out in space or that they’re worried about his safety. Both of his parents knew he was a capable of a lot of things – and that’s the problem.

Mingyu could’ve been an architect. He could’ve worked to design a whole new look for Onyn. The skyscrapers are becoming repetitive for the people and they wanted something else already. Mingyu had drawn sketches of buildings, houses, parks and other places ever since he was young. He wanted to redesign their planet. He also wanted those _new_ things everybody else wanted. Yet, he can’t be an architect – that dream had long perished along with his left arm.

The prosthetics messed with his designs – he couldn’t draw them like he used to when he was younger. He forced himself to learn how to use his right hand instead, but it was inevitable. His designs became uninteresting and unimpressive.

Onyn is still filled with skyscrapers and Mingyu is too tired of looking up.

 

-

 

“How’d you lose it?” Minghao asks carefully. Immediately stuffing his face with food as if regretting what he had said. Mingyu shots him a surprised look but calmly answers, “Helped someone – got stuck under the rubble.”

Minghao blinks then plays with the food on his plate, keeping his gaze away from Mingyu. “Was it painful?” He mumbles. Mingyu winces and remains quiet. Minghao drops the subject, lifts his tray up then leaves.

It had always been _painful_. Mingyu was not talking about the time his arm got stuck, or when he woke up in the hospital feeling numb and cold. Those were nothing compared to the pain of seeing his parents and younger sister say their apologies. They’ve gone far as wishing such a horrible thing should’ve happened to them and not him. He wanted to tell them that it was okay, but he couldn’t.

He spent a month at the hospital, seeing nothing but white walls and the skyscrapers outside the windows.

 

-

 

Seokmin returns in the afternoon with food enough for him and Mingyu to gobble up. They quietly sat in front of one another. Mingyu was slurping his soup when Seokmin decided to speak first, “What are you _still_ afraid of, Mingyu? You can settle here or somewhere, it’s been three long years – give yourself a break. Continuously working for so long? Have you gone insane? I mean, when was the last time you visited the mainland? Your family? You can’t just run away from all the _bullshit_ this infinity throws at you.”

There is frustration in Seokmin’s voice and Mingyu felt sorry. Seokmin had been a friend for as long as both of them could remember. He left the mainland earlier than Mingyu to join the division. A year ago, he decided to settle here and live a life under the stars again. For Seokmin, the stars look different here in Lopiel.

“I still need more time, you don’t understand,” Mingyu who stands 6 foot tall felt small as Seokmin’s frown grew and he stood up, his hands balled up into fists. He knew his best friend wanted to punch him in hopes of knocking some sense into him.

Instead, the latter opted to scoff and say, “Truly, I don’t understand. But that’s what you like, yeah? When you’re too damn confusing for anyone to ever understand.” These words hurt Mingyu but as a very old saying goes, _truth hurts_.

“Maybe settling down isn’t for me, you know? I don’t _fucking_ know Seokmin, okay? I don’t even get why I decided to call you as soon as I got my job done and just…” Mingyu’s grip on the utensils was almost enough to break them into half; thankfully they didn’t. “…show you how miserable and sad I am. It’s scary out there,” he points outside Seokmin’s windows where the sky was slowly dimming. Nights were longer on this planet. “But what scares me the most is this,” he hovers his hand over his head down to his torso. “I am terrified of myself.”

His best friend doesn’t say anything as he gets wrapped into a warm embrace. Mingyu cries; that’s the first time he cried ever since he left Onyn.

 

-

 

In the galaxy between Tamium and Spad IV, Mingyu had strongly thought about settling down. It was on his second year as a scavenger when he receives a job on a planet called Bris located on the far-end of Equiom, a tiny galaxy with only 3 planets. Mingyu landed on Bris during the night and similarly to Lopiel, nights on Bris last longer than the day.

The night was still young and so when he went to the mainland to meet with his client, he was welcomed by a crowd who was enjoying a festival. They were dressed—as Mingyu have guessed—in something traditional making Mingyu looked so foreign and out of place. Yet, he enjoyed learning more about Bris and its people.

He met with his client in a restaurant which served local delicacies. Mingyu was starving but didn’t want to be rude and patiently waited for his client to arrive. His face became tinted with an embarrassing shade of pink when, in the middle of discussing details of the job, Mingyu’s stomach grumbles loudly. Jihoon, his client, chuckles and offers to treat him dinner. “Sorry for running late.  Festival season as you can see, and I’ve been rather busy. You could’ve ordered something without me though,” he said as his eyes turns into little crescents.

Mingyu had seen many moons during the course of his voyages but never did he saw a moon that had a light of its own.

 

-

 

“This is wrong,” Jihoon says as he pushes Mingyu away, breaking the kiss which the latter initiated. “This is wrong in all ways, Mingyu. You’re not supposed to like me,” he had his stoic expression painted on his face that Mingyu had grown to adore.

This is the longest he had stayed in a planet other than his own. Everything about Bris was the opposite of Onyn. They didn’t have skyscrapers making the sky seem unreachable and Mingyu grew attached to the illusion that he didn’t need to return to the skies because it was supposed to be out of his reach.

In reality, it was Bris itself that was unreachable. He was not destined to be here. He didn’t belong here. He was not meant to stay by Jihoon’s side but why was he trying so hard to make himself believe that he finally found a place – _his_ place? No, this was not his place; this is Jihoon’s place. It will never be his place no matter what he lays down for Jihoon. Jihoon didn’t love him back.

From then on, Mingyu stopped looking for a place where the moon looks different.

 

-

 

Mingyu leaves Lopiel the following day. He informs Minghao that he is already on his way to Milky Way, to which the other replies with a promise of a payment for all his efforts.

The vortex his ship passed through was rather long given that Milky Way is still 5 galaxies away from Kraig II. Luckily, he managed to leave just in time for the vortex to stabilize which only happens twice a month. This was its second stable moment, Seokmin informs him.

When he arrives in Milky Way, he squints his eyes immediately. The opening of the vortex in this galaxy is near to the Sun and Mingyu was worried that his ship would melt. It wouldn’t – the ship’s made up of materials from a galaxy more advanced than this old and forgotten galaxy. Once the worry was out of his head, he calibrates the tint of the window in order to stare at the Sun without going blind. He lingers there for a while. This is the first time he had been to Milky Way.

The Milky Way is considered as a dead galaxy mostly because here is where the ancestors of _humankinds_ from the other galaxy came from. Milky Way had been left deserted for over a hundred years or more. Spad IV, Kraig II and Equiom are said to have the most resemblance to the ancient _humans_ who resided here on Milky Way.

He has heard stories about these humans being incapable of reaching space back then. After quite some time, they learned how to navigate and were believed to have tried inhabiting the planets surrounding theirs which was then (and is still) called Earth. After such, they became rather greedy and invested to study more about the countless wonders of the universe. That’s when they learned how to stabilize vortexes and travel from one galaxy to another. Residents of the other galaxies were just as shocked as the ancient humans. All of them believe that they were alone for such a long time.

Mingyu believes that most of his genes were from these ancient humans. He feels the same: that the universe is endless and it had so much to offer. He just haven’t found what it was trying to offer him.

 

-

 

Earth isn’t as beautiful as the books back in the mainland describe it to be. Still, there is this enigmatic feeling which surges through Mingyu’s body one he sets his foot on the deserted planet. There he saw different creatures which looked familiar. These were the ancient beings from which the creatures in Onyn evolved from. Some were just smaller versions of the living things he had seen before while the others were like mixed and matched to form those which can be found back in his homeland. Mingyu thought it was interesting and documents it through the use of his QHolo. He attempted to draw a few which really caught his attention.

His mission on this planet was to locate a library and obtain an old book from there. He was used to this: finding old things and retrieving them without questioning the reason as to why people wanted things which are crumbling due to ageing and are practically useless. Yet he thinks that he wasn’t entirely different from this people, since he too was searching for the most nonsensical thing – a star.

 

-

 

Mingyu finds the (assumed) ship Minghao and whoever was with him lost to an unstable vortex. It was empty by the time his QHolo receives a distress signal from it. He has no idea where the operator is and decides to wait, teleporting his trailer to feel comfortable and not look like he’s about to rob the ship.

Hours passed and the owner of the ship is still nowhere to be found. Mingyu decides to contact Minghao but finds out that the reception on Earth (and maybe even in the whole Milky Way) was as horrible back on Petaia. He lets out a small huff before leaning back on the small sofa he has inside his trailer. As he continued to count each passing minute, he falls asleep.

 

-

 

Mingyu learns that the man’s name is Wonwoo _and_ he was the one who got sucked by the unstable vortex back in Olpho Erthet. “I could’ve just returned to Olpho Erthet, but the vortex shook my ship so bad,” he narrates with an unamused face and a quiet, reserved voice.

“How bad is the condition of your ship?” He places the glass of water on the table in which Wonwoo gladly takes with a small smile, Mingyu gets flustered and almost drops his glass. The raven-haired boy chuckles at his actions.

“Can’t get it to start – the vortex must’ve damaged the engine. Gladly, I managed to land here without really crashing but still, I pretty much let gravity do all the work.” He gulps down the water in go, Mingyu couldn’t help but stare at his bobbing Adam’s apple as he swallows. Mingyu swallows too; there was saliva building up inside his mouth.

“I see – good thing you don’t have injuries and…” Mingyu almost forgets why he was sent here by Minghao, distracted by well, the person of interest himself, “…I’m guessing the item you recovered from the bandits is safe?” Wonwoo shoots him a sharp gaze and he feels like he could shake any minute.

“It is but no, I’m not giving it to you or that elf-like friend of yours.” Wonwoo’s tone changes from quiet to threatening. Mingyu frowns. He should’ve seen this coming but he couldn’t quite grasp the fact that this person is capable of such mischief.

“And why is that?” He attempts not to sound like a coward but his voice breaks at the end which had Wonwoo smirking slightly. Obviously, this was enjoyable for the latter but Mingyu was not having fun.

Wonwoo shrugs, tracing the mouth of the glass with his pinky where Mingyu spots a shiny ring. “I just found out how valuable it is and I _really_ needed the ticket to get away from that place so…” What happened next almost made Mingyu’s heart burst – Wonwoo had already pointed a gun at him and he had both of his hands up in the air. “It’s best if I kill you so you wouldn’t tell your friend but I’m not that ruthless,” he laughs; this time in a sadistic manner.

 

-

 

Mingyu has his QHolo tapped in order to be monitored by Wonwoo. Wonwoo then locks him inside his _own_ bathroom in his _own_ trailer. “Dearest god of the nebula, send me luck.” He mumbles, ashamed of the situation he’s in.

“Stay there, I’ll be back.” Wonwoo’s statement keeps on repeating inside his head as he looks in the mirror, shouting curses to himself for being careless.

Wonwoo returns after a couple of hours while Mingyu was technically dozing off since 1.) he was inside a bathroom, 2.) what do you do inside a _godforsaken_ bathroom? Mingyu takes this time to thank his parents (and the universe) that he was not ugly. He just stared at his face the whole time and traced the moles he have on his face, as if those were stars and the path he made, was good enough to be a constellation.

He was released and pushed to the sofa in a mildly rough manner before having a gun pointed at him again, “Tell me. What do you know about this item?” He swears he heard Wonwoo _growl_ which made him swallow hard.

“I don’t even know what it looks like – I just happened to know that Minghao needs it to accomplish a job,” Wonwoo doesn’t look too convinced and had his finger dangerously close to the trigger. “That’s all I know – I promise.” Mingyu says, barely inaudible. His words made Wonwoo lower the gun but still, the _I-can-kill-you-if-I-want-to_ look was still plastered on his face.

“Here’s a condition…” Wonwoo leans down, staring right into Mingyu’s eyes. Mingyu realizes that his eyes were a darker shade of brown compared to his and they had a certain depth to them which makes it look like an unstable vortex too. This encounter really felt like that: Mingyu had been sucked into an unstable vortex. “…I’ll let you do whatever you need to do after you help me with my ship _and_ not tell your friend, Minghao, that you have found me. Lie about it – say that you couldn’t find me, that he might’ve miscalculated the destination of the vortex.”

“Look, this is my friend we’re talking about here. I can’t just let you escape,” Mingyu tries to sound at least a bit intimidating to which Wonwoo responds with furrowed eyebrows.

“And what’re you planning to do, hmm? We’re both stuck here with no reception. It’s just you, me, my ship and yours. The only thing is I have a gun and you don’t have yours.” It was Mingyu’s turn to frown. He wonders what’s so special about the item Wonwoo had in his possession to have him act like this.

“I refuse to offer help to frauds like you.” Suddenly, his right cheek felt painful. Wonwoo slapped him and was now (most probably) killing him inside his head.

“Call me a fraud one more time and I won’t hesitate to shoot you,” Wonwoo’s voice was shaky, on the verge of crying maybe, but he tries to conceal it but Mingyu doesn’t miss the hint. “If I were you, I’d just obey.” He straightens himself up before walking out without further words.

 

-

 

From his trailer, Mingyu looks out the window to see the stars. They were bright as usual and were twinkling, all without a care. Mingyu reflects on what really drew him towards these balls of gases.

 

-

 

It was set. This is the day Mingyu leaves and bids the mainland goodbye. He had passed his 6-month training and had received permission to be a recruit under Onyn’s division. No tears were shed that day as Mingyu, along with other hopefuls, boards the ship which launched them to the headquarters.

The first few days were tough. Simulated space gravity is nothing compared to actual space gravity and Mingyu had thrown up quite a lot of times because of space sickness. The food tasted horrible as the canteens for the recruit was always packed. He understands how much of a burden it is to cook _decent_ meals for such a large number of people. _It’s fine_ , he tells himself.

Nightmares came frequently. Terrors come in hues of black and blue as Mingyu turns immobile in his own dreams and it _fucking_ sucks how he didn’t have control of himself even in his own illusions.

From then on, he turns into an anxious mess and the caffeine was not helping. At least he managed to escape from the tragedies inside his head as he spent countless days without falling asleep.

 

-

 

The next days passed with Wonwoo dragging Mingyu out from his trailer to have him help with the repair of the mutilated ship. It turned out to be worse than Mingyu had imagined and saw the first time. This was not just an engine problem, he was 90% sure that Wonwoo’s ship was just a piece of scrap metal at this rate. Miraculously, they (mostly Wonwoo threatening Mingyu and Mingyu just kind of grew tired) managed to fix it and have it working again.

“I guess this is goodbye,” Wonwoo says without any hint of remorse or just plain guilt after putting Mingyu into such a difficult situation. He uses his own QHolo to open the ship’s door and began walking up on its steps.

“Yeah, it is.” Mingyu couldn’t hide the fact that he was sad but this was nothing. He had experienced this countless times before – with Jihoon, his family and plenty other people. Mingyu wonders if there will come a time when either Seokmin or Minghao—maybe even both—would grow tired of him and just desert him, leaving him with nothing but his pathetic self and his hazy dream.

“We had a deal, I, uh…“ There was hesitation in his voice, or is Mingyu just making this up his head, just to make himself feel a bit better. That Wonwoo actually wants to say sorry, that Wonwoo actually enjoyed Mingyu’s company even though it’s mostly pointless arguments and discussions of unimportant events, that Wonwoo—maybe even just for a bit—would want to stay with Mingyu and probably make up to the things he had done to scar him even further. Yet he knows all of those are very unlikely to happen, Wonwoo did not know him and he did not know Wonwoo.

“…I hope you stay true to what we talked about. Or maybe not, it doesn’t matter, I’ll be disappearing so,” he sends himself off with a shrug.

Mingyu finishes his job on Earth a few days after Wonwoo left. The heat on the crater Wonwoo’s ship had marked on Earth’s soil still lingered. Mingyu sits on the middle of the crater as he looks up to the stars for the nth time, face falling into a frown.

He swore he had seen these stars change in form once while he was staying here but now, they’re back to their previous dull figures.

 

-

 

The second time he meets Wonwoo is after a year of boring and repetitive trips from one galaxy to another. Mingyu had almost forgotten what Wonwoo looked like and how they particularly met during his trip to Milky Way. Wonwoo still had the same look in his eyes, the same apparent philtrum and the same beautiful hands. He wasn’t raven-haired anymore but a brunette much like Mingyu.

They came across one another in Kraig II, in a small planet neighboring Lopiel. Mingyu had just finished transacting with his client when he spots Wonwoo exiting the building. He didn’t know why he chased after Wonwoo, but he did.

“Mingyu…” Wonwoo was shocked. The way he said Mingyu’s name still sounded foreign but Mingyu, even after a year of not hearing anything from the other, is still entranced by Wonwoo’s timbre.  “…I-I never thought I’d see you again.”

“Hi, I, uhm – me too,” he would be lying if he tells himself that he had not missed the man standing in front of him at this very second, very much mundane, real than most of the realities Mingyu had faced and is facing.

“What brought you here? I mean, I know it’s for a job, but I mean uh,” Wonwoo looks down at his feet, angles it in a way that made him look as if he was about to lose his balance but doesn’t. “Here, in front of…” An exhale. “…me.”

Mingyu shrugs and he remembered how Wonwoo had said goodbye back then. Never did he expect to see such a lovely figure manifest itself in front of his eyes. Mingyu had moments when he made himself believe that Wonwoo was someone he had just imagined out of thin air because that’s how fast he disappeared from Mingyu’s life. A strong surge of wind which left him in shambles.

“Okay. I’m actually staying here for a while, how about you, are you leaving already?” Mingyu wishes he could tell Wonwoo that no, he was willing to stay for him so that they could have dinner together, catch up and maybe even watch the stars together.

“Yes, I’m leaving in a few hours,” he chokes on his words and he was not a fool to not see how Wonwoo face fell even though he basically had the same expression and only had micro movements.

Mingyu wants to tell Wonwoo that he had seen it all, the scars on his back, the item he had been hiding and how it turned out to be a family heirloom that matched the ring on his pinky finger. Mingyu grew to understand how much it meant to Wonwoo and the way he acted back during their first encounter was reasonable. Mingyu wants to say that it was okay to run away that he too, was a runaway himself.

He doesn’t and he missed how the stars twinkled differently on the sky that night.

 

-

 

It was fate, Mingyu believes. They meet again a couple months after in the peculiar galaxy of Jedo where both humans and humanoids were fairly foreign. Thus, it was not hard for Mingyu to spot Wonwoo in a crowd as he was pacing the plaza. This time, he waits for Wonwoo to approach him and the now blonde-haired boy does.

“You didn’t have to stare that much,” he greets, his face contorting into something Mingyu couldn’t describe. It was a half-frown and a half-smile.

He chuckles before putting his hands up in defense, “Don’t point your gun at me again, I’m sorry.” Wonwoo responds with a laugh and Mingyu felt his insides burn, much like when he drank that unfamiliar liquor back in Lopiel.

“I missed you,” he blurts out and Wonwoo went back to his tough façade again. Mingyu wants to curse himself for thinking out loud but he doesn’t regret saying those words because for such a long time, he actually meant it.

It’s not that he’s insincere when he sends messages to his family, the headquarters and to Minghao and Seokmin that he misses them, but this was different. It was longing. Mingyu longs for Wonwoo. He began to get used to staying longer in planets, after he had met Wonwoo the second time, hoping that he would see him amidst a crowd or across the table. Mingyu wanted to be with Wonwoo. He doesn’t feel _terrified_ by the fact that he could meet Wonwoo anywhere, anytime. That no matter how far the universe expands, there will be a point in where they’d see each other again.

 

-

 

Wonwoo’s ship smelled of Mingyu’s and Wonwoo’s _scents_ mixed together and it makes Mingyu feel lightheaded. He had his hand on the back of his head while the other was wrapped on the sleeping figure beside him. Mingyu sighs heavily before carefully untangling himself from the sheets of Wonwoo’s bed, grabbing his clothes, dresses himself and spares Wonwoo an apologetic glance.

Mingyu knew of this, that Wonwoo was a deep-sleeper. That’s how he managed to snoop around this particular ship back during their encounter on Earth when Wonwoo was sleeping. Mingyu did not understand why he didn’t plan his escape back then and continued to pretend that he had no opportunities to do so.

This time, he flees. Mingyu takes the job in the galaxy farthest from Kraig II.

 

-

 

“Why did you suddenly disappear?” This time, they’ve done it on Mingyu’s ship and Wonwoo manages to stay awake. Mingyu wasn’t sure if it was because their bodies were pressed close to one another or if it’s the surge of guilt which made Mingyu’s face flush.

“I didn’t.” He wanted to smack himself for being such a coward; not that he hasn’t countless times before, but he wants to make sure that this time, it actually knocks his soul out of him.

Wonwoo hums as a response before nuzzling his face on the crook of Mingyu’s neck. The next thing Mingyu feels is Wonwoo’s hot breath on his exposed skin, as the smaller snored lightly.

Mingyu stays.

 

-

 

They sold Wonwoo’s ship and Wonwoo was thankful that he finally had a reason to let that _garbage_ go. Mingyu gained a companion, a partner who was actually there unlike Minghao who had been promoted to a senior and is now holed up in their headquarters.

Mingyu still haven’t cut his ties with the division although job offers from the locals decreased. He doesn’t blame them – Mingyu hasn’t returned to Spad IV for 5 _long_ years ever since he left. They might’ve forgotten about him. Surely, they might still talk about him, but not as a living person, maybe like a myth or a taboo.

“Your designs are beautiful, Gyu,” Wonwoo comments as they sit on the sofa, Mingyu’s old blueprints scattered on the coffee table. This is the first time he had shown these things to Wonwoo and he was glad that he did. “It’s such a shame they weren’t put to good use. Onyn could’ve turn into a wonderful place.” He’s used to this – Wonwoo’s careful choice of words, how the other spoke slowly.

Mingyu on the other hand, speaks first before thinking, “Yeah, but I lost my chance – Onyn lost its chance.” There was bitterness in his chuckle and his breathing became irregular. Wonwoo leans his head on Mingyu’s left shoulder and he interlocks his hand with Mingyu’s metal hand. Mingyu calms down and places a kiss on top of the Wonwoo’s head into which Wonwoo responds with a peck on Mingyu’s lips.

 

-

 

Mingyu is now 25 still unsettled and roaming the galaxies freely. Seokmin is still his best friend and he often visits Lopiel to drink that unfamiliar liquor with Seokmin which sends them both to _hell_ – but it’s fun, so it doesn’t matter. Minghao is still settled back in the headquarters and is now a highly respected senior, replacing Seungcheol as he had married and started a family back in the mainland. Jeonghan, discovering Mingyu’s interest in architecture, asked for his old blueprints as he redesigned Onyn. Yet, Mingyu still haven’t thought of returning – and he probably never will.

 

-

 

Wonwoo had scars on his back while Mingyu had scars inside the walls of his heart. Wonwoo still holds the heirloom dearly as it is his last memoir of his family while Mingyu still holds the stars dearly even though they still remained as clouds of gases, continuously dying in front of his eyes.

Mingyu had found it – the place where the stars looked _different_.

He missed it back on Onyn when he was younger, for it was clouded by his broken dreams. He missed it back on Bris because his eyes were caught by Jihoon and how his eyes turned into crescent moons when he smiles. He missed it during his voyages because he had been searching aimlessly, not knowing where to start looking. Seokmin beats him to it on Lopiel. He missed it when he stared at the Sun in the Milky Way, unaware that the Sun is a star because he was afraid to accept reality. He missed it back on Earth because he got distracted by Wonwoo’s philtrum and hands. He missed it back on the planets where he ran into Wonwoo because he was busy searching for him in the crowd.

This time he doesn’t miss it. This time he doesn’t miss the stardust in Wonwoo’s eyes. Truly, his eyes had the depth of a vortex, but he remembers that vortexes where once stars; and stars are on their brightest point when their dying. Wonwoo’s eyes were dying stars and Mingyu loves to stare at them because they are not dull and had all the wonders of the universe in them.

The universe is fairly quiet but Mingyu feels like he’s going deaf at the sound of his heartbeat as Wonwoo shifts in his sleep to further capture the warmth of Mingyu’s embrace.

**Author's Note:**

> Songs that helped me complete this fic include, [Magnetosphere by Mondegreen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5Bc9AFDgBI) (and hey, this is where I got the title) and [Cherry by Luna Shadows](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRQogPuZio8) so yeah, that's pretty much it.  
>   
> You can hit me up on Twitter if you want ([@sevencreams](http://twitter.com/sevencreams)) and I don't know, uh, we could talk about cheese ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ (jk, talk to me 'bout seventeen aaah - ily ty for reading this)


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